


Disappearance

by Dictatorofbutts



Series: the corruption of a kwami [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: A hell of other tags but that would be too much, Badass Sabine, Betrayal, Evil!TikkiAU, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Identity Reveal, Transformation without kwami
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-22
Updated: 2017-06-12
Packaged: 2018-05-22 16:22:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6086515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dictatorofbutts/pseuds/Dictatorofbutts
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Ladybug will come soon,” he told her with a stern expression as he pushed her deeper into the safe alley. “That’s why I need to make sure civilians as you are saved.”<br/>“No. Ladybug won’t come,” she told him, hands pressing strong onto his shoulders. The hood fell down to her back. “Chat Noir, listen to me,” Marinette said loud and clear before pushing a strand of hair behind her ear, revealing her miraculous. His green eyes widened. “Ladybug can’t come. If you don’t believe me, listen to your kwami!”<br/>_________<br/>I call this the evil!Tikki AU until I think of something better.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Help me, I can't transform!

**Author's Note:**

> The fic will be divided into 4 parts with multiple chapters. 
> 
> Part One: Disappearance  
> Part Two: Finding Strength  
> Part Three: In Flames  
> Part Four: Resurrection
> 
> [no beta and probably a lot of german punctuation]
> 
> If you have questions or anything else, you can contact me via [Tumblr](http://rest-in-agreste.tumblr.com/).

**Part One: Disappearance**

**Chapter 1: Help me, I can't transform!**

Marinette knew the day would come. Someday her days as Ladybug would be over, Tikki would leave and everything would go back to normal. But all of this wasn’t right. Marinette was sure Tikki would never leave her without a last, proper goodbye and most importantly they didn’t even defeat Hawkmoth yet. That’s why Marinette felt like her whole world crashed when she woke up one day just to find the place next to her empty.  
  
At first, she thought Tikki would be downstairs stealing cookies as usual. But she didn’t find her in the bakery, nor in her room. In fact, Tikki didn’t show up the whole day. Or the day after. By the end of the week, Marinette had already gone through the phase of denial, anger and self-blaming.  
  
Marinette barely paid attention in school as her thoughts always drifted off to what she possibly could’ve done to annoy Tikki so much. Of course, Alya noticed her best friend’s strange behavior, mostly because Marinette didn’t even blush when Adrien spoke to her. Marinette’s answers were short if she gave one. She spent her nights crying her eyes out instead of giving her body the oh-so-needed sleep. She exhausted her body to the point where she collapsed in the middle of class.  
  
She didn’t know how long she had been out; all she remembered was waking up from silent whispers. At first, Marinette thought it was Tikki waking her up and telling her that she was late for school but then she remembered that those times were over. No more nights swinging from rooftop to rooftop. No more nights watching Paris with Chat Noir. She furrowed her brows and suppressed tears.  She opened her eyes and realized that she was in the nurse’s office under the worried eyes of said nurse, Alya, Nino, and Adrien.  
  
Her best friend was gnawing her nails off while Nino tried to comfort her in the best way possible. As she saw Marinette moving Alya rushed over to her, pulling the bluenette up into a hug. “Mari, what’s wrong with you?”  
  
Alya looked like she had cried. Her lips were swollen and her bottom lip was trembling. But Marinette couldn’t bring herself to care. She just sat there and endured the hug. “I’m okay.”  
  
Shocked by Marinette’s unresponsive behavior, Alya took a few steps back. She watched her best friend getting out of the bed and slipping into her shoes. It was Adrien who tried the next move. He walked over to his classmate and laid a hand on her shoulder. “Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked, gently squeezing her shoulder. “Collapsing isn’t usually a thing people do when they’re okay.”  
  
Then it happened. Marinette, who usually adored Adrien and longed for his touch, brushed off his hand and stood up. Her face stern and emotionless. “Let’s get back to class.”  
  
And less than thirty minutes later they were all back in their assigned seats going through curve sketching. Marinette was at this point basically just hugging herself as she lived through a minor anxiety attack. What if an akuma attacked? Chat Noir didn’t know that Ladybug would not be able to cleanse it. Suddenly the girl started feeling dizzy and about to puke. She raised her hand and excused herself to the bathroom.  
  
Just that she wasn’t going to the bathroom. Marinette aimlessly wandered the school’s corridors to eventually land at her locker. A black creature was flying in front of it and she quickly hid behind the other ones. It was black and almost as big as Tikki. Were those cat ears and a tail? “Maybe that’s –”, Marinette mumbled to herself as she stepped out of her hiding place.  
  
The kwami instantly backed away and flew towards the window. Marinette dashed after it, her hand reached out to grab him. “Wait, please!” Marinette yelled. “You’re Plagg, Chat Noir’s kwami, right?” The creature squirmed in her grip as her eyes filled with tears. “Please, you got to help me,” she pleaded. “Tikki’s missing and… and,” her voice broke off as her body started shaking. “ _I can’t transform_.”


	2. Ladybug won't come!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Ladybug will come soon,” he told her with a stern expression as he pushed her deeper into the safe alley. “That’s why I need to make sure civilians as you are saved.” 
> 
> “No. Ladybug won’t come,” she told him, hands pressing strong onto his shoulders. The hood fell down to her back. “Chat Noir, listen to me,” Marinette said loud and clear before pushing a strand of hair behind her ear, revealing her miraculous. His green eyes widened. “Ladybug can’t come. If you don’t believe me, listen to your kwami!”

**Chapter 2: Ladybug won't come!**

  
  
“ _I can’t transform_.”  
  
The black kwami – Marinette was right, his name actually was Plagg – sighed and didn’t try to escape as she freed him. “I know. I already feared it,” Plagg answered concerned running his tiny paw over his forehead. “I didn’t know you were his chosen but I felt that she wasn’t present since last week. That’s why I checked the locker that smelled the most like her.”  
  
Marinette broke down sobbing and shaken by hiccups. She buried her face in her hands. She couldn’t care less if somebody passing by saw her. “Please, Plagg; you need to help me find her.” She looked up, her blue eyes washed away by tears. “And you need to tell Chat Noir to stay away from akuma. He can’t cleanse them and if he fights them alone, he’s in danger!”  
  
“He can cleanse them,” the kwami whispered almost not hearable. “It’s just dangerous and a pain in the ass.” Plagg flew over to the bluenette and tried to comfort her by patting her head. “Listen kiddo, I think I got to tell you something but not now, not here.” His eyes wandered around and his ears twitched as he heard footsteps somewhere down the corridor. “Tomorrow,” Plagg said. “Make sure to keep your trap door open. Chat and I will come to your house tomorrow.”  
  
Suddenly the girl got antsy. “No,” she said. “He can’t come. He can’t know who I am!”  
  
The kwami sighed again. “Kid, this is by far the smallest thing you should worry about.” The usually disinterested and lazy kwami became serious. His eyes darkened. “You got a storm coming up and _both of you_ will need to work together for this. _Both of you_ will need to know everything. We can’t let history repeat itself again.” The last part was mumbled and directed towards himself. “The reveal was long due anyways.”  
  
The kwami gave her one last pat before flying up to a window. He could’ve gone back to the classroom yet but chances were high that she’d follow him. Judging by her actual condition, the girl wouldn’t survive the shock of a reveal right now. “Ah, we need to find Fu and contact the others,” Plagg whined and counted on his fingers while the other paw was stroking his whiskers. “What a pain. I hope Sabine still knows my favorite kind of cheese.”  
  
  
  
When Marinette came back to the classroom it felt like all eyes were glued on her. She puzzled over whether it was because her eyes were all red or because she took half of an hour bathroom break. As she sat down into her seat Marinette didn’t know what to feel. Sure, she felt relieved to have found the kwami of her partner but he said something about a storm. Marinette was quite sure that he didn’t mean the weather but more a big fight. A fight she was ought to attend without her magical powers.  
  
After school, she did her best to hurry home and lock herself in her room. Marinette swore she really tried to avoid everything that was remotely connected to Ladybug but somehow she found herself stalking the Ladyblog. She had hoped that no akuma would attack the city while Tikki was away but with Tikki her luck seemed to have vanished as well. In the live ticker, Alya told her followers that a new victim of Hawkmoth was attacking Paris.  
  
_You are Ladybug with and without the mask._  
  
Determined Marinette stood up, wandered to her closet and pulled out a red hoodie. “I am Ladybug,” she told herself, clenching her fists. Quickly she packed everything that could be used as a weapon into her backpack before putting it over her shoulder, pulling the hood over her head and glancing one last time into the mirror. “I. Am. Ladybug.”  
  
  
When she arrived at the scene Chat Noir was already present as well as a few bystanders who wanted to watch the fight. Alya was part of them. Marinette tried to clothe herself in the shadows of the surrounding buildings. She saw Chat got hit, once, twice and with a final third one he went down into the wall of one building. She heard the crowd gasp and ask for the female part of the duo. ‘Stay strong, you can do it’, Marinette told herself as she opened her bag and grabbed a bag full of stones she had collected on her last vacation. She aimed and hit the akuma, distracting him from Chat and giving her feline partner time to recover.  
  
What she hadn’t expected was for the akuma to react immediately and dart towards her. She rolled on the ground and tightened her grip on the rope she had pulled out of the backpack. In the background, she could hear Alya freak out and explain what just happened. Especially as Marinette jumped over the attacking akuma and missed it with the rope. She landed on the ground doing a few rolls before hiding in an alley.  
  
Strong hands on her shoulders caused her to squeak. “This isn’t the right place for people who are just looking for an adrenaline kick.” Deep voice, claws. She knew who they belonged to. Chat Noir was breathing heavy.  
  
“Just for the record,” Marinette snapped and brushed his claws off, in the same manner, she did with Adrien’s this afternoon. “I just saved your ass since your partner isn’t here.”  
  
“Ladybug will come soon,” he told her with a stern expression as he pushed her deeper into the safe alley. “That’s why I need to make sure civilians as you are saved.”  
  
“No. Ladybug _won’t_ come,” she told him, hands pressing strong onto his shoulders. The hood fell down to her back. “Chat Noir, listen to me,” Marinette said loud and clear before pushing a strand of hair behind her ear, revealing her miraculous. His green eyes widened. “Ladybug _can’t_ come. If you don’t believe me, listen to your kwami!”  
  
Shock covered his face. It took a moment and Marinette assumed he was mentally talking to his kwami. A power both miraculous wielders had recently gotten. “Marinette…” His hands trembled on her shoulder as his eyes searched for confirmation in hers. “My La–”  
  
Marinette felt her eyes water once again; a lump of hurt and shame settled in her stomach. “Now’s not the time, Chat.” Her head spun towards a scream coming from the crowd. “You’ll need to cleanse the akuma. It’s in her hairpin,” Marinette explained hastily, wiping her eyes. “I’ll help the best I can and distract her.”  
  
“But” His claws wandered up. He had never been the important part of the team. He’d always been the shield for her, making sure she stayed unwound. With the roles reversed he was completely clueless about what to do. “I can’t cleanse akuma.”  
  
“You can,” Marinette gave him a sad smile before pulling her hood back on, hiding her face in darkness. “You always could. Just let Plagg lead you. I believe in you!”


	3. Reveal

  **Chapter 3: Reveal**

 

Adrien fell into his bed, totally exhausted and confused. Marinette, the shy girl sitting behind him in almost every class, was his beloved Ladybug. Marinette, who had collapsed just hours before the fight, actually had fought with him without her glamor.  
  
_He had cleansed the akuma but at the same time he had destroyed it –?_  
  
_Honestly, it had been weird._  
  
_Marinette had managed to tie up the akuma. Chat had held back a comment about her talent to tie people up and went straight to throwing the hairpin to the ground. As soon as he held the darkened akuma in his hands, Plagg had taken control._  
  
_He had pressed his hands together and Adrien had heard the akuma crack under his strength. He had felt the shiver and the energy set free by the cleansing process run through his spine. As Adrien opened his hands, there had been a small caterpillar. He had gently put it into the next bush before his miraculous lost three paws at once._  
  
_Chat Noir had looked for Marinette but the girl was already gone._  
  
The model rolled around in his bed to face the black kwami eating his fifth piece of camembert. “Plagg, what exactly was that?”  
  
Plagg gave a shrug and an innocent look. “Exhausting?”  
  
“You know that’s not what I mean,” the young boy accused. “Ladybug couldn’t transform, why? Is that the reason why Marinette is acting weird lately? Did you know that Marinette is Ladybug? Why didn’t you tell me that I am able to cleanse akuma?”  
  
The kwami yawned and covered his ears with his paws. “Listen, boy,” he began. “I am not allowed to tell this much, that’s why I told that girl, Marinette, we’d come to her tomorrow evening.” Plagg acted as if he was getting a headache. “And boy, I haven’t done the cleansing thing in five hundred years so please just let me sleep.”  
  
With that the kwami ended the discussion, leaving a confused Adrien Agreste in his bed. The boy just couldn’t stop worrying. Why? What had happened to Ladybug that she couldn’t transform? Of course, he spent a respectable amount of time freaking out about the fact that Marinette seemed to be Ladybug. Yet he had to ask himself the most important question. While he did love Ladybug, Adrien still didn’t know if he loved Marinette.  
  
“If you don’t stop thinking, I’m going knock you out,” a grumpy Plagg growled. “You’re giving me a headache.”

 

  
  
  
Marinette didn’t show up to school the next day neither did she answer the text messages of her classmates. The teachers had informed her mother about Marinette’s breakdown the day before. Sabine, the loving and understanding mother she was, just turned off her daughter’s alarm and placed a plate full of snacks on her canapé.  
  
The girl woke up around 2 p.m. to the delicious smell of baked goods, tea and the taste of her own tears. The first thing she always did was checking if Tikki had come back but the place next to her bed was still empty. Marinette gave a dejected sigh, made her way downwards the small ladder and curled up next to the plate her mother had left. A small note attached to it.

 _Honey, I know you’re having a rough time._  
_I told your teachers you’re sick and that you’re staying home._  
_If you feel the need to talk about what is bothering you, come down._  
_Your father and I are there for you._  
_Love, Mom!_

And there she was, crying again. Marinette usually didn’t cry that easy but now she started tearing up about every little thing. She felt pathetic.

 

 

  
  
Adrien’s behavior in class resembled Marinette’s a lot. He couldn’t concentrate and barely paid attention to the teachers. He tapped the end of his pen against the tablet; a steady rhythm to accompany his thoughts. Marinette is Ladybug. Ladybug is Marinette. Ladynette is Maribug. Ladybug was basically the girl sitting behind him.  
  
His whole mind wanted to tell it somebody – since Plagg still avoided everything regarding that topic – but his only options were Alya – leader of the Ladyblog –, Nino – who had an enormous crush on Alya and wasn’t a person who could keep a secret– or Chloé – who was… well, obviously just out of question for all reasons.  
  
Nino took his pen away. “Dude, stop it or Alya will rip your heart out and feed it to the cats.” Green eyes wandered back to a mildly pissed looking brunette. Nino shrugged and added, “That’s what she said, though.” He gave the pen back to Adrien who resisted the urge to start tapping again. “What’s wrong with you? Didn’t you get enough sleep?”  
  
Adrien turned to Nino, still lost in his thoughts. “Marinette is La–” he blurted out and caught himself before he could continue. But now he was had to face another problem.  
  
Not only Nino had heard him but also Alya. “What,” said brunette asked sharply. “Mari is what?”  
  
“Uhm…” Adrien’s eyes wandered from his desk towards Nino, who looked almost as confused as Alya and _damn Agreste think about a smart plan b._ “– cute.”  
  
Well, that maybe wasn’t smart neither discreet, and by far not one of his brightest ideas, but it wasn’t a lie either. And it was the first thing that came to his mind when thinking about Marinette – except for the whole Ladybug-thing. “Marinette is cute,” he repeated in a rather suggestive tone.  
  
Nino’s eyebrow rose up and so did Alya’s. Basically, everyone in class who had heard him looked at him with a questioning look. He pleaded to god, Buddha and even to the snickering cat-god in his collar that at least Chloé hasn’t heard him – and luckily she hasn’t. “Okay, dude?”  
  
“Now that we’ve pointed that out, could we please go back to the topic ecology, Mr. Agreste?” The teacher pinched the bridge of her nose and shot him a taunting glare.  
  
“Y-Yes.” The model just wanted to disappear and wished for a hole in the ground to swallow him up. His head hit the table and he batted Plagg through his collar. Out of his peripheral vision, he saw Alya antsy in her seat, glancing at her phone. Knowing Marinette and Alya the brunette was considering texting her best friend about his ‘disgrace’. “What a day,” Adrien sighed silently.  
  
“And the worst is yet to come,” Plagg added with a whisper.

 

 

  
  
  
So far Marinette had watched a few episodes of recently aired anime and now she was distracting herself by drawing. Working on her designs had always helped her in rough times.  
  
As much as she wanted to storm off and look for Tikki all by herself, she knew she needed the information from Plagg. And if that meant that Chat Noir would have to come to her house then so be it. She would find a way to avoid seeing who he really was, but that would be up to the situation.  
  
Now she just wanted to distract herself by working. With all the sheets covering the ground and a pencil caught between her lips, Marinette sat in the middle of all the designs. Smiling for the first time since Tikki left.

 

 

  
  
Adrien knew Nino would talk about it. It was just a question of time. And the perfect time seemed to be at lunch. As soon as the bell rang, he pulled Adrien up and out of the classroom. He didn’t say a word until they stopped in a separate corner of the school’s library where Nino eyed his best friend. Judging him without words.  
  
Adrien was the first one to talk. “Would you believe me if I said I said that on accident?”  
  
Nino inhaled sharply. His feet tapping on the ground in an angry manner. “The last few years you’ve been drooling over Ladybug and how she is you ‘one and only love’ and now Mari?”  
  
‘Because Marinette **_is_** Ladybug,’ Adrien screamed internally.  
  
Nino crossed his arms. Not to get him wrong, he loved all of his best friends, Adrien, as well as Alya and Marinette, but knowing Adrien’s crush on Ladybug and the seemingly sudden change to Marinette woke up his protective instinct. He was like a big brother for Marinette since they were six and he felt the need to investigate this in order not to get her feelings more hurt than they were now. “Care to explain, bro?”  
  
“Explain what?”, Adrien hissed. If he was Chat right now his ears would lay flat on his hair. He threw up his arms. “Okay, Marinette is cute. That’s all I said. Alya is cute too. Calm down, I didn’t say I want to marry her and get a whole bunch of kittens and a hamster.”  
  
“But you blurted it out in the middle of class so it’s got to be something pretty important.” As Nino approached his look had something of a cat ready to jump at his victim. But Nino just laid a hand on Adrien’s shoulder. “Sorry, I’m just making sure Mari won’t get even more hurt than she already is.  – Bro, you can talk to me, you know?”  
  
Adrien sighed. “It’s complicated.” He looked down at his hands, kneading his fingers. “I’d never hurt Marinette. You know that. And I still love Ladybug. Everything is just really, really complicated and I would love to explain everything to you but I just can’t.”  
  
“You guys and your secrets.” Nino sighed and gave a small chuckle as he relaxed. “Will you someday tell me your secret?”  
  
“Someday,” Adrien promised, hugging his best friend. Someday he would tell him after they’ve defeated Hawkmoth. When he didn’t have to worry about his best friends safety.

 

 

 

  
  
She didn’t notice that it was getting darker outside. That the heaven looked like it had been mixed with blood. Marinette hadn’t eaten for a few hours and didn’t plan to eat anytime soon. Her hands worked with crayons, coloring a dress in black.  
  
Two feet landed on the wooden floor with a tapping sound. “Your designs sure look cute but the color is depressing,” Chat Noir stated as walked down the stairs, very careful not to walk over the papers on the ground.  
  
Marinette shot up from her position and immediately regretted that. Her back hurt and only god knows how long she had been in her previous position. “Chat Noir?” Her eyes narrowed. “Is it already –”  
  
Even if it was just for a split second but the moment she had jerked up there was the teeny tiny hint of hope in her eyes, hope that it was Tikki. He had noticed it and he noticed the disappointment as well. He wasn’t even going to lie, she looked like shit at this moment. Adrien gave a slight bow. “I came as purr-omised, my Lady.”  
  
My Lady. She flinched at the words and bit her bottom lip. ‘Don’t cry now.’  
  
“Princess,” Adrien blurted out and corrected himself. He wanted to punch himself. “I meant my purr-incess!”  
  
She gathered up her belongings as a distraction and went to her desk to put everything away. “It’s okay, Chat.” Marinette walked over to her canapé and curled up on it. Clutching the pink pillow as she did so. “So,” she began and made a gesture for him to sit down next to her. As much as she wanted to know what Plagg had to say, she wanted to introduce the reveal slowly. “I guess Chat is not your real name, right?”  
  
His claws rubbed his neck sheepishly. “No,” he answered, thinking about how to spill the truth to her without her freaking out. Marinette knew the reserved, shy Adrien Agreste and his other persona was quite the opposite. Something inside him tingled. “Damn, could you give me a second? Plagg wants something.”  
  
Understanding the girl nodded and hid her face in the pillow, knowing that the kwami would most likely just drop the transformation and she wasn’t ready to see that yet. The air was filled with magic as his transformation dropped.  
  
“What the fuck, Plagg?” Adrien cursed angrily. “Was that really necessary?”  
  
“I am so sorry, fucking Princess,” Marinette heard the black kwami hiss full of sarcasm. “Tikki is missing, the situation is burning and I have none of your softy shit. Go, talk to her and I’ll be downstairs calm my nerves with some cheese if you excuse me.”  
  
She heard her trap door go up and down. Marinette started to wonder if Chat had held the door open for his kwami or if Plagg was really that strong. But they were talking about an ancient god. She heard footsteps coming towards her and felt a hand on her back. “I guess your kwami is just as much of a nervous wreck as I am?”  
  
Adrien nodded but felt stupid because she couldn’t see him. His eyes wandered around her room trying to find a topic to talk about before he revealed himself. What he found were countless pictures of himself and he wasn’t quite sure if Marinette had a crush on him – which would be somehow a bit heaven on earth because _Marinette is Ladybug_ – or if she really liked his choice of clothes. “So, do you have a crush on Adrien Agreste?”  
  
He felt her stiffen. ‘Shit, Agreste, you fucked up,’ he thought. ‘Abort mission. I repeat: ABORT MISSION!’  
  
“You could – say so…”, came Marinette's muffled voice through the pillow. A blush creeping up her neck.  
  
“Oh,” that was an answer he hadn’t expected. That would make the reveal even more awkward. “You don’t need to look at me if you don’t want to,” he suggested. “I could maybe just, uhm, sit behind you and Plagg can explain everything so you don’t have to turn around and see me. Because honestly I am plain boring and – ”  
  
“Chat,” she interrupted him. “It’s okay. Right now I wouldn’t even be shocked if you were Adrien.”  
  
Adrien mistook her joke for seriousness and gave out a relieved sigh. “Good, because I don’t know how to deal with shocked people.” He thought back to one time where he tried to comfort Nino as Alya had scared the shit out of him on Halloween and, all in all, it was just plain awkward and Nino had to remind him more than once about personal space.  
  
Marinette held her breath. “What?” Her head jerked up just a little bit, allowing her eyes to see his worn out jeans and the hands she’d been pining after for years. That couldn’t be true. In order to not find her assumptions fulfilled, she looked up and saw Adrien. Her brain working hard to comprehend everything and it ended in a growl. “Are you fucking kidding me?”  
  
“Marinette, I am afraid to ask, but are you okay?”  
  
“Yes… actually, no,” Marinette shook her head and held up a finger indicating him to wait. “Guess what, cut the ‘I wouldn’t be shocked’-part. Give me a few minutes while I scream into this pillow.” Her hand circled said pillow before she slammed her head into it and muffled screams could be heard.  
  
Adrien was surprised by the creativity of her curses, he had never heard before.


	4. Cookies and Questions (and a lot of confusion)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry I haven't updated in like forever... writer's block is a bitch but so am I.  
> This chapter might get changed in the future. I just wanted to get this chap over so I can continue with the story. This chapter might suck. IF you have any questions or something is unclear, feel free to ask. Honestly, ask... I don't even understand this chapter. 
> 
> You might have noticed that this is an AU from now on. I know the origins episodes and stuff but I still changed this into something different. 
> 
> READY FOR ALMOST 3k WORDS OF PURE CONFUSION?

 

**Chapter 4: Cookies and Questions (and a lot of confusion)**

Marinette screamed for five minutes. Ten minutes. When she reached the fifteen minutes mark Adrien started to wonder if she was ever going to stop or if he broke her. “Marinette, you need to stop screaming or you’ll die because the lack of oxygen.” For now, he was just drawing small circles with his hand on her back. “And Alya will brutally kill me if somebody tells her I let you die on my watch.”  
  
Screams were replaced with silent giggles. Marinette heard him sigh relieved. Shy and insecure she lifted her head and looked at Adrien. Her head red as her usual suit and her eyes all puffy. She smiled at his shit-eating grin. “You’re stupid.”  
  
“You wound me, princess!” Adrien held a hand above his heart. “I am an educated man.”  
  
Marinette clasped a hand in front of her mouth to stop herself from laughing out loud. “You ate caramel off of the floor without knowing what it was!”  
  
Guilt ran through her veins. She shouldn’t be laughing. She should be investigating where Tikki was.  
  
Adrien’s hand wandered back to her back as soon as he saw her change in behavior. “We’ll find your kwami,” he promised and slung his arm around her. “Together.”  
  
As if she wasn’t already red enough a new blush crept to her face. “Thank you, Adrien,” Marinette whispered. “But could you – uhm… Personal space?”  
  
He scooted to the other side. “Sure.”  
  
The trap door opened and both teens looked very confused as Sabine Dupain-Cheng entered the room. With a plate full of cookies, cheese stripes and lots of tea. Marinette looked over to the boy. “Mom, I can explain!” Marinette stammered until she saw the black kwami on her mom’s shoulder.  
  
“Sabine, these children are killing me,” Plagg complained, faking a dramatically faint. “With their love and their crushes and their puberty – it’s disgusting!”  
  
Sabine patted his head. “Poor, Plagg, Al and Gabe really traumatized you, hm?”  
  
Marinette and Adrien watched the scene with shocked faces. “Mom?!”  
  
“Plagg?!”  
  
Sabine sat everything down on the table before taking seat on a chair in front of the kids. “Plagg, where are our manners?” The woman chuckled to the muttering kwami – “Which manners?” – and turned to her daughter. “Honey, Adrien, I think there is a lot we need to talk about tonight. I’m asking especially you Marinette to please not start screaming again. Your father is downstairs and he doesn’t know about anything.”  
  
Marinette said nothing but nodded. She absently scooted closer to her Chat Noir, forgetting that he was Adrien. He instinctively went back to comforting her.  
  
Sabine took a deep breath, looking where to start. “I’m sorry to say this but Tikki has been using you, Marinette. In more than one way.”  
  
The girl looked up. “You knew?”  
  
Sabine laughed. “Are you trying to insult me?” She asked smiling. “I know my daughter’s body and face when I see it. Our bedroom is right underneath yours and you’re not exactly quiet when you sneak back to bed after patrol. Of course, I knew it was you!” Her eyes wandered to Adrien. “And I also knew about you, Adrien. You really live up to Alison’s name.” Sabine nudged his shoulder as both teens became more and more shocked.  
  
Marinette was in the blue about who Alison was but Adrien seemed to know her because she felt him stiffen next to her. His hand stopped on her back. “You knew my mom?”  
  
Filling her mug with tea, the woman in front of them nodded. “Alison and I were friends,” Sabine confirmed. “She was the reason I came to France…. and she was previous Chat Noir.”  
  
Well, that was the fact that broke Adrien Agreste’s brain. His eyes wandered restlessly through the room. “But _how_?”  
  
“I think it’s best if I start from the beginning. You might consider drinking a bit of tea to calm your nerves.” She sat down the mug and filled the other ones for the teenagers. “Plagg, is it okay if I start with my part of the story before we move on to the other stuff?”  
  
The kwami nodded and chewed on a slice of cheese. “Now that they know they wouldn’t listen anyway.”  
  
  
“It all began long before I met Tom. I was living in China back then and one day I found a bracelet together with a cute, little kwami - Hanii. You need to know, there aren’t just two miraculous in this world. There are more of you – seven if I am informed correctly but not all of them are actively used – and with that Hawkmoth isn’t just attacking Paris. ” Plagg nodded along to confirm her words and correct her if she was wrong. “One day I met a pair of foreigners in my parent’s restaurant. A young male designer and two female friends of his, on their first vacation after graduation. Those were your Dad and your mom, Adrien, and the mother of your classmate Chloé.” Sabine stopped to take another sip of her tea. “At that night on my patrol I ran into Ladybug and Chat Noir in a race over the rooftops; both seemed to be two young girls my age. I want to make this short because the following days are nothing worth explaining but let me tell you one thing; they weren’t as discreet with their identities as you two were.”  
  
Marinette blushed. She was the main reason why they had kept their civilian selves a secret. Chat had offered her the reveal three days after they first met.  
  
“We girls became friends pretty quick as we all shared a secret. Even though there was kind of a language barrier,” Sabine continued smiling. “Alison was a lovely girl and everyone seemed to pine after her; You resemble her so much, she would be so proud of you. And as Chat Noir, she was strong. Catherine was more of a reserved person – and to be honest, I don’t know where your classmate got that behavior from – but as Ladybug, she practically jumped out of her shell. I learned that Gabriel knew about Chat Noir and Ladybug being his best friends and that he used them as inspiration for his early designs. And then the day of their departure came.” A frown covered her face as she remembered that day. “That’s when they offered me to come over to Paris during the holiday season as I could live with Alison for a while. They said they could need all the help they could get with the increasing akuma attacks. I gladly accepted and worked a lot to pay for the flight. That’s how I ended up actually moving to Paris with nothing but passion in my job as superhero and almost no language skills.” Even if Sabine smiled you could tell she was shortening her story to the limit. “Now comes the important part. One day Plagg opened up to Al, Gabe and me; telling us everything about Tikki. We had noticed that Cath was getting weaker with every day; she slept longer, ate way more and had almost no energy. Especially after we fought together Cath used to collapse straight into bed. It was weird because none of us experienced these side effects. That’s when Plagg explained to us that it was usual for Tikki’s chosen. The closer we got to Hawkmoth the weaker they get. Apparently a few hundred years ago Tikki got kind of brainwashed?” A confirming nod from Plagg. “I never really understood what’s behind that so it’s up to Plagg or Fu to explain it later but we got informed that the way Tikki cleanses akuma is different to our way of cleansing. While we others absorb the energy set free from the cleansing, Ladybug rather gives more of her own life energy into the butterfly. And the butterflies she sets free aren’t going to freedom as we thought but rather – ”  
  
“ – Hell. They’re literally going to hell.” Plagg’s voice cut through the air. “Hawkmoth isn’t a person, he is a demon. A demon serving a higher force. And right now he seems to have Tikki.”  
  
Adrien’s hand rose up. “Higher force as in – ”  
  
“Yes, you humans would call it _Satan_.”  
  
Marinette wiggled in her position. “You are trying to tell me that Tikki serves the evil by giving them Ladybug’s – my – energy?”  
  
“Have you ever asked yourself why all Ladybug’s died young?” His green eyes burned on Marinette’s skin. “Tikki wasn’t always like this. It started about four hundred years ago when humans started accusing others of witchcraft and burning them at the stake. Our chosen at that time weren’t working together as we were used to, so I lost connection to her but when we met again generations later, Tikki was… different. Her style of cleansing had changed and it took me and the others a lot of time to figure out what could’ve happened. Anyway her Ladybug’s from that time on died at a very young age, every time when the chosen faced Hawkmoth.”  
  
“…in hell?” Adrien tried to comprehend. “They faced the demon in hell, right? And the Ladybug died?”  
  
“Unfortunately, yes. And while we’re at it, I lost a lot of my Chat’s in that process too.” Plagg nodded. “That Tikki is gone and you, Marinette, are still alive means that they’ve gathered enough energy to attack. I don’t know how further steps will look but I’m sure Fu will be able to explain more.” His eyes went back to Sabine. “Sorry, I interrupted you.”  
  
“Oh, don’t be sorry, little one,” Sabine cooed and patted his head. “They needed to know this much for the next part nonetheless.” She had shifted her position and was now sitting with her legs crossed. “Well, we stopped at the part where we were informed about what Plagg just told you. At that time, we were really close to Hawkmoth’s vessel and all three of us were parents. We captured the vessel and – well, Master Fu, our trainer and you soon-to-be-trainer, helped us going down to fight the real Hawkmoth.”  
  
“Wait, you’re telling us, you had us and still went down to _HELL?_!”, Marinette was close to freaking out. “While Dad stayed home with the little baby-me? You could have _died_!”  
  
Adrien squeezed her shoulder. “I don’t think we’re babies back then… I think we were way older than that.” He gulped and looked to Marinette’s mother, who nodded. “This is the story of how my mom disappeared, right? That’s part of the reason, why you’re telling your story to both of us, right?”  
  
“Yes,” Sabine answered. “This is the story about how your mother disappeared. I am _very_ upset Gabe hasn’t told you anything about it, but it seems like he has the hardest time talking about the past. Beforehand, I am certain that your mother _isn’t_ dead but still alive. She is fleeing from Hawkmoth.” Her eyes wandered up just to see two more than confused teens. “When we went down to fight Hawkmoth your mother did something really, really dangerous.”  
  
Now it was Marinette’s turn to comfort Adrien. “What did she do?”  
  
Sabine’s smile faded. “She tried to use Cataclysm on Hawkmoth and ended up killing Cath.”  
  
All parties fell silent. Adrien was fighting tears – he had always wondered what Cataclysm does to living creatures – and Marinette forgot all her awkwardness around him and hugged Adrien from the side, knowing that he needed that support.  
  
“Nobody blames her but herself. Your mother was an incredible Chat Noir. She was able to use Cataclysm more than once in a fight and she saw the opening in everyone’s defense. Unfortunately, Tikki saw it too and let her chosen jump right between Hawkmoth and your mom.” She flinched at the memories and her hands started to tremble. Sometimes Sabine could hear the screams. “We retreated immediately and Al… She left over night and I gave up my miraculous. Such an action leaves scars on the soul. And with such a scar Alison is most likely to get used as a vessel for Hawkmoth. That’s why she is always traveling; distracting. Last time someone saw her was three years ago in Germany. Volpina met her on accident when she was on vacation. Volpina is in possession of the fox miraculous. We don’t know much about her and just met her twice.”  
  
If Adrien wasn’t crying before he was definitely crying now. “Why didn’t she take me with her?” he asked desperately. “Why did she leave me with – _him_?”  
  
“Gabe is looking for her as well,” Sabine sighed. “Everyone deals differently with loss. I’m not saying he’s handling it right but knowing about us and why all of this happened made him the way he is. He keeps you all sheltered because he is afraid you might come in contact with a miraculous. Because he knows he could lose you.” Sabine rubbed Adrien’s knee to comfort him. “What about we call it a night, kids?” she offered. “Adrien, you could stay here if you want.”  
  
Adrien shook his head. “My schedule for the week,” he brought out between hiccups, “is full and my father won’t appreciate that.” As if he heard his son, Adrien’s phone began buzzing, showing his father’s number. His face went white. “That’s him. He must’ve noticed my absence.” Adrien feared to pick up.  
  
“No need to be afraid, Adrien. I’ll talk to him.” Sabine leaned over and picked up instead. “I have experience with his rage.”  
  
  
“Where are you?” A sharp voice could be heard and Adrien sat still in shock.  
  
“Hello Gabe,” Sabine said smiling friendly at the kids. “It’s Sabine and your son is with us.”  
  
For the first time in Adrien’s whole life, he heard his father curse. As if he feared the blue haired woman.  
  
“Marinette and he met for a school project and forgot to watch the time, so I offered him to stay the night.”  
  
“Adrien is scheduled for photo shoots tomorrow, Sabine!” Gabriel reminded her. “He has not timed for friends.”  
  
“Oh, stop being a party pooper and give your son some freedom, Gabe!” Sabine chuckled towards the phone. “We both know why you’re filling up his schedule so hard. I suggest you cut it out and let that young boy live his youth.”  
  
Adrien knew how much his father hated when his plans weren’t appreciated and mentally prepared himself to go home. He heard his father complain.  
  
“I’ll tell you something, Gabe,” Sabine took the tone of an upset mother. “If you’re not giving him more freedom I have a lot of pictures of you – do you remember our first party here in France? – in my photo book and I am pretty sure the press would be interested in seeing them.” She waited for an answer but met silence. “See, I think we both agree on the topic that your boy needs a little space for himself. I’ll drop him off tomorrow after dinner, bye.”  
  
Marinette was beyond shocked. Not that her mother just opened up to them about her past; Her mother just blackmailed the designer Gabriel Agreste! Adrien wasn’t better off.  
  
“That was a lot of information tonight and I am sure you’ll get a lot more if you finally meet Master Fu,” Sabine walked over to the trap door, “but that’s a story for another time. Good night.”  
  
  
“Your mom is scary,” Adrien stated between small sobs and Marinette nodded.  
  
  
  
  
Both teenagers sat on the canapé for a long time. Each of them lost in their own thoughts. Both too busy to notice that they were hugging each other. Each of them wanted to freak out but at the same time, they just wanted to stay in their silent embrace.  
  
“Now that you know I am not bound to silence about my previous chosen,” Plagg explained from his position next to a pile of cheese. “You may ask questions now.”  
  
Marinette and Adrien looked at the kwami. “Did you choose me because of my mother?” Adrien asked, biting his lip.  
  
Plagg sighed. “No, as soon as a wielder gives up their miraculous us kwami are ‘blinded’ until we find a new chosen. Tikki looks for a Ladybug and after that, I look for the perfect match to balance out her powers. It’s been this way since the beginning,” he explained. “Adrien, you were meant to be Chat Noir. _Don’t ever question that_. Just like Marinette was meant to be Ladybug even though Tikki’s circumstances are a bit different. Both of you have pure souls and that’s what we look for in our chosen.”  
  
“If you excuse me I need a nap.” Plagg swallowed another piece of cheese before taking place in Marinette’s box of yarn.  
  
It was Marinette who made a move. “That was a lot for one day.” Taking her arms off Adrien she stretched herself. “It’s late, we should go to sleep,” she announced and stood up, making her way to the stairs. “You coming, kitty?”  
  
His shocked face looked up at her and she couldn’t help but blush.  
  
“I trust you with my life, Chaton, so I think I can trust you with this too,” A slight smile decorated her face. “Plus, I don’t think either of us should sleep alone tonight.”


	5. What are we?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little bit of fluff? Anyone?  
> Or should I go back to letting them suffer?  
> (as if they won't suffer enough in the future)

**Chapter 5: What are we?**

 

Adrien knew a lot about Marinette or at least he thought he knew a lot about Ladybug. But he never imagined her to be so clingy in her sleep. He woke up around 7 am due to lack of oxygen. Strong arms were wrapped around his chest and he tried to ignore the fact that Marinette pressed her chest against his side.  
  
The girl was having a nightmare and struggled. Adrien didn’t know how to comfort people – hell, the last time someone comforted him was years ago – and he had no clue what their status was right now. Were they a couple because they obviously liked each other? Or friends? Partners?  
  
“Tikki…” And Marinette started crying, body shaking with sobs. “I’m sorry.”  
  
Oh god. What parts are you allowed to touch as a friend? The only female friend he had was Chloé and that obviously wasn’t the best reference for this.  
  
“I am so sorry! Please don’t go, Chat.”  
  
He flinched at his name. Slowly Adrien gripped her wrist and slipped his hand into hers, intertwining their fingers. “Shh, Mari,” he said in a hopefully calm voice. “I’m here; I’m not going anywhere.”  
  
Adrien would be lying if he said her hand didn’t threaten to crush his. It was almost painful but the small smile that showed in her sleep was worth it. Marinette visibly calmed and snuggled closer to him.  A weird feeling spread through his body – A feeling he thought was long lost. Not only having Marinette (his lady) close made him feel home, but her room and especially Sabine made it stronger. This was what a family felt like; what a _home_ felt like.  
  
Closing his eyes Adrien drifted off into sleep once again…  
  
Only to wake up to Marinette’s alarm going off. She reacted with a groan and tried burying her face underneath his arm as if to shut off the noise. She froze as she felt a body next to her. Okay, Tikki had never been this big or this nice smelling. It smelled almost like – “ADRIEN?!”  
  
With a loud _thud_ , she fell out of bed and right on her butt. The pain worked as a reminder of last night. Suddenly Marinette felt very stupid for falling right out of bed.  
  
“Oh my god Marinette, are you okay?” Adrien’s head reached over the corner of her bed into her field of vision.  
  
‘Play it cool, Marinette,’ the girl reminded herself. “No – yes… You’re great – I mean, I’m great.” She hit her head against the metal of her bed. “This is even worse than before,” Marinette mumbled to herself.  
  
“If it helps you,” Adrien – seeing her usual struggles around him – suggested, “You could pretend I’m Chat right now. You had no problems talking to me when I was Chat…?”  
  
Much to her surprise it worked. She just wasn’t allowed to look at him directly. “Okay, kitty, I think that works.”

  
  
“Ah, the screams of my daughter. What a nice sound to wake up to.”  Sabine’s head poked out of the trap door, focusing the teenagers at the bed. “Good morning, honey! Good morning, Adrien.”  
  
Adrien straightened and tried to hide a blush. Sabine had caught him in her daughter’s bed! He was sure, he’d die any second; either of embarrassment or through her hands. “Good morning, Mrs. Cheng!”  
  
Against his suspicions Sabine just smiled, “Oh, call me Sabine, my dear!” She turned to her daughter. “Breakfast is ready. Come down when you’re ready. – Oh and Adrien, I’ve washed your clothes and put them on Marinette’s desk. Just so you know.”  
  
“T-Thank you!”  
  
Adrien watched the woman go. The fact that she didn’t yell at him or kill him for sleeping in her daughter’s bed with her daughter was surprising. She even washed his clothes. A giggle shook him out of his trail of thoughts. Marinette was sitting on the ground, laughing and covering her mouth with her hand. It took him a moment to realize she was laughing at him. “What is it?”  
  
She pointed her finger at him and tried to swallow the laughter that fled her chest. “Y-You look ridiculous.”  
  
Adrien pouted and looked down at himself. A faded memory showed up. Marinette had given him one of her pajamas for the night. Just now he realized how short the pink shirt was. It ended shortly before his belly button. The matching pink shorts with rockets didn’t help with his look either. A grin spread his face. “Listen here, Princess,” the male began, posing like his other persona, “I look hot even if I’m wearing Hello Kitty! Model genes!”  
  
“I won’t disagree with that.” Marinette blushed. Had she really just said that?  
  
Adrien choked on his own laughter and stared at Marinette with wide eyes. God, that was more or less Ladybug in front of him and she had indirectly called him _hot_!!  
  
‘Say something,’ Adrien’s brain yelled. “Y-You look pretty hot too.” He wanted to slam his face against the mattress. ‘Probably not that…’  
  
  
  
Half of an hour later the teenagers sat next to each other at the breakfast table in awkward silence. Sabine smiled at Adrien who ate like a starving man. Tom and Sabine, they treated him like a son and Adrien could say proudly that this was the best day of his life.  
  
“Fo, how awe we gowing to find Mafter Fu?” Adrien asked with a full mouth, forgetting his manners. The bread tasted like heaven and he needed it to survive. This must be the way cheese tasted to Plagg.  
  
Marinette giggled behind her hand. Adrien looked like a hamster and that picture would be burned into her memory. Looking at her mother her laughter died. Right, this wasn’t the situation to laugh. ‘Paris – no, _the whole world_ is in danger.’  
  
Sabine nipped at her coffee, chuckling to herself. “You won’t find Master Fu,” she said calmly. “Master Fu finds you. It’s always been that way.”  
  
“But,” Marinette leaned over the table towards her mother. Her eyes fixated on her clueless father working in the kitchen. She lowered her voice. “But Paris is in danger! We can’t sit around and wait for Hawkmoth to attack.”  
  
“Listen, good smelling kiddo,” Plagg took place in the middle of the table, chewing on a piece of camembert three times his size. “Sabine and I had a talk and came to the conclusion that Fu will find you soon enough.”  
  
“And you won’t be _sitting around_ ,” Sabine added. “You’ll be going to school, keep your eyes open and patrol. Maybe a little bit of training wouldn’t hurt the both of you. Marinette, you could teach him how to cleanse akuma since you’re unavailable for that job.”  
  
“I don’t think my father would approve of that,” Adrien worried, rising from his chair to help Marinette’s parents put away the dirty dishes. “I mean, you heard him yesterday…”  
  
Raising a hand Sabine grinned at him. “Oh, I already took care of that, he’s okay with the thought of you spending more time with your friends. He cleared your schedule and we prepared the guest room in case it gets too late for you to go home.”  
  
Adrien wasn’t quite sure how Mrs. Cheng convinced his father to all of that but it was probably blackmailing and involved more than just a few pictures of him partying. “Thank you, Sabine.”  
  
“Everything for you, my boy, and – uh – ” The woman took him to the side where Marinette couldn’t hear him. “To achieve all that I might have told your father that you and Marinette are dating. I couldn’t tell him the part about you being a certain superhero; so just play along with it in case he asks.”  
  
When Adrien first met Ladybug he thought she would be the death of him. Scratch that. Now that he knew Sabine Dupain-Cheng, Adrien was sure that this woman would cause his death. The blush that spread all over his face was hilarious to watch.  
  
“And now it’s time for the two of you to go to school.” Sabine shoved them both back in the direction of Marinette’s room where at least Marinette’s bag was at.  
  
For a moment, everything was back to normal to Marinette. Her broken world fixed as if nothing ever happened. Falling back into old habits she ran up to her room, chanting a panicked ”I’M LATE!” even though they weren’t even close to being late.  
  
Adrien silently followed her, chuckling when she almost tripped over her math book that was lying on the ground with several pencils and a bag. He knew girls could do more than one thing at a time but being able to pack your bag while putting on makeup was a stunning thing to watch. The way she ignored him indicated that she totally forgot he was there.  
  
But reality hit her hard when she called for Tikki to wake up and hide in her purse. Marinette froze in place, not able to move a single muscle. There were the tears again. She gave her best to suppress them but it wasn’t enough. Before the first tear could escape strong hands squeezed her shoulders. Very quick she became aware of Adrien’s presence but instead of transforming into a stuttering mess, she did her best to picture him as Chat. Her beloved kitten that always had her back. Taking a deep breath Marinette leaned back; shoulder blades colliding with his chest.  
  
“Thank you,” she whispered. He was the support she needed right now.  
  
Adrien hummed and placed his chin on top of her hair. It smelled like mangos.  
  
They stood there in comfortable silence, supported each other. It was Adrien who couldn’t hold back a question. His fingers softly tapping in a nervous manner. “My La– Marinette, what are we?”  
  
Blue eyes looked up at him. She had never realized how fast he had grown over the years. When they started as heroes they were almost the same height and now he was a head taller. “A-Adrien…”  
  
“I mean, are we friends? Or more?” He stammered. “You know, my feelings haven’t changed.”  
  
“Same goes for me,” Marinette mumbled, looking away and chewing her bottom lip. “Listen, Adrien, we’re friends, partners and well, somehow crushing on each other. But right now I just can’t… you’re my biggest support and I don’t want to lose you. When everything is over I’d love to – uhm… Just not right now.” Her hands searched his and squeezed his. “Are you okay with not labeling this – _us_ – until it’s over?”  
  
Us – one word that sounded like heaven in his ears. Even if she didn’t want him now, Marinette wanted an “us” in the future. Happily Adrien buried his nose in her hair. “I’m purr-fectly okay with that, my Princess.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Boom, guess who's back? Long time no see, kiddos.  
> I thought I should continue this fic since I still have future parts prepared on my laptop. Enjoy!

 

 

**Chapter 6: Who’s Master Fu?**

 

On one hand Adrien felt offended when Marinette continued stuttering around him but on the other hand, he was thankful for that. Alya had been suspicious enough when they entered school together. Plus Marinette was way happier than the days before. Not that Marinette was happy per se but she didn’t look like she was about to cry any minute.

But he noticed a little change in her usual behavior. When he looked at her before, she used to look away, but now she held her stare. Marinette would slightly blush but her eyes would stay focused on his. And there was this tiny smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

“Are you guys free for lunch?” Alya asked Adrien and Marinette after classes ended. “We wanted to check out the new café down the street.”

Marinette shook her head. “Sorry, I have something important to do.”

“Me too!” Adrien jumped in, despite not knowing what Marinette had in plan. He grew nervous under Alya’s raised eyebrow. “Model stuff…?”

 

Soon they left the two heroes alone. Marinette took her time to pack her bag and Adrien turned around curiously. “So, what important stuff do we have to do, Maribug?”

She blushed as her eyes met his. “F-Find Master Fu.”

“I thought your mother said that he’ll find us,” Adrien spared a look in his bag where Plagg was currently sleeping. “I wouldn’t want to upset her – or Plagg for that matter - but mostly her. She’s scary.”

“Let-Let’s just say, we’re going out,” Marinette suggested shrugging. “Getting lunch together or recover from last night’s revelations. Something like that.”

“But –”

Marinette’s hand landed on his shoulder as she spared him a sad smile. “Listen, you don’t have to go with me,” she said never really meeting his eye, scared that she would lose her voice as soon as their eyes met. “Since I can’t transform I can’t train. I refuse to sit around and wait. If the only thing I can do is look for Master Fu, then I’ll do it.”

Adrien quickly gripped her hand and squeezed it comfortingly. “We’ll go together; We’re in this together and we’ll get Tikki back together.” He held up his hand, waiting for her to take it. “Partners?”

Her hand gently found her place in his. The warmth emitting from his hand seemed to flow directly through her whole body. “Partners,” she agreed with a gentle smile.

“So, where do we look first?” Adrien asked putting on a beanie. Usually, people recognized him on the streets, so he tried everything to disguise himself as best as he could. He even put his white shirt away, making him look strangely less like the Adrien Agreste that Marinette was used to.

With a grin, Marinette pulled out a small piece of paper. It showed a self-drawn map of Paris. Red dots highlighted some places. “I thought we could start with the places of the last akuma attacks. I’ve marked them with red dots. Mom mentioned that he watches over us so maybe someone has seen him around.” They made their way to the metro station.

Adrien tilted his head. “Are we going to ask questions like real detectives? I’m not sure if they will give us some answers. We’re just kids, you know?”

“Well,” Marinette reached out to boop his nose. “I know that at least one of us isn’t ‘just a kid’.” She spared him a quick wink before quickly drawing her eyes back to the map. “In fact, one of us is Paris most trusted superhero.” Both pulled out their tickets and entered the metro. “And the other one is my most trusted kitty cat.”

Despite the compliment, Adrien started to pout. Marinette giggled and sat down at the window as he offered her to sit first. He quickly sat down next to her, scooting closer than necessary just because… well, she was his lady and he would never not use the opportunity to be close to her. “You are really comfortable flirting with me when you don’t need to look at me.”

Marinette felt the heat rising up her neck, tinting her head as red as her ladybug suit. She nudged him with her shoulder. “I’m not flirting!”

His shit-eating grin told her that he didn’t believe her.  
She barely believed herself.

To distract him, she pulled out her phone and a pair of headphones. “Anyways I spend my lunch break with Alya while she updates her blog and I noticed something.” She unlocked her phone, opening the recent post of the Ladyblog. Luckily he didn’t comment on the background showing his face. Marinette started the video of the last attack where Marinette had helped Chat Noir. Both of them put in one earpiece of the headphone and listened to Alya commenting. It was weird seeing yourself fight. Marinette had honestly never watched a single video of a fight before she lost her powers.

“I’ve gone through half of the fights and noticed someone in the background. Look here!” The video stopped and she pointed at something. An old man in a red shirt with white floral print carefully observed Chat Noir. “I spotted him in almost every video I watched.” As if to prove her words, she played two other videos showing the mysterious man. “He is the only person in every crowd that looks calm even if everyone else is freaking out. It must be him.”

Adrien had no clue what she was talking about. But it was cute seeing her talk to him as Adrien without any hint of stutter. He made a mental note that if he wanted to have coherent conversations with her, he had to choose a topic she was interested in.

“Adrien, I think that’s him,” Marinette said pointing at the man again. “I’m pretty sure that’s Master Fu.”

“Oh… OH!”


End file.
